The Department of Homeland Security changed its guidelines for Iran’s World Cup team, granting them permission to spend two full days in Seattle ahead of their Friday match against Egypt — a significant expansion from the 24-hour limit imposed for previous U.S. matches.
The Iranian team will now arrive two days before the June 26 game.
For earlier World Cup matches on U.S. soil, Iran’s squad was held to a strict 24-hour window — fly in, play, fly out. Other competing nations face no such restrictions and typically remain in host cities for recovery time after matches.
“Ahead of the match in Seattle on June 26, the Iranian team will be allowed to come in match day minus two, so two days before the match. They’ll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match.”
Even with the expanded window, Iran’s team must still depart immediately after the final whistle. Their training base remains in Tijuana, Mexico — not on U.S. soil.
The guidelines come as Iran remains under heightened scrutiny. While other World Cup teams move freely between U.S. host cities, the regime-backed Iranian squad operates under DHS travel restrictions tied to ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The decision to loosen the timeline stops short of granting Iran’s team the same freedoms afforded to other nations. The Seattle match will be played under the expanded 48-hour entry window, but the post-game departure requirement holds.
